In a gruesome incident reported from Hyderabad’s Hyderabada Alkapuri area, a 23-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping and killing a 5-year-old girl by smashing her head with a boulder the police said on Wednesday.

The accused has been identified as Dinesh D, a construction labourer from Madhya Pradesh.

Dinesh had allegedly lured the girl, who lived in his neighbourhood, with chocolate and took her to an isolated spot to commit the dual crime said police.

The body of the, with her head smashed, was found dumped in the bushes at an isolated spot on Tuesday night.

"He took her to a deserted place in Alkapuri area where he allegedly raped and killed her using a boulder," Narsingi Police Station Inspector G V Ramana Goud said.

Goud said the girl’s parents had seen Dinesh walking with the girl in the afternoon.

They confronted him in the evening when they did not find the child with him.

Dinesh allegedly told them that he had already sent the girl to her house.

The girl’s parents and neighbours searched for her but could not find her, following which they approached the police.

"The girl's parents lodged a complaint last night and during the course of the investigation, police cracked the case and found the girl’s body in bushes, and subsequently arrested the accused (around midnight)," the inspector said.

Dinesh has been booked under various sections of the IPC for kidnap, rape and murder, the officer said, adding that further investigation is on.